About

$1,500

pledged of $1,500 goal

10

backers

My name is Kelly Northway and I’m the creator and owner of Kelly’s Kombucha. I’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest since 2013, and I adore the beauty of the luminous green moss beside the wonderous plethora of waterfalls found here! I love living in the city of Portland for its close proximity to so much beautiful nature, but not only for this reason alone, I love Portland for its endless amount of local businesses, strong and supportive community, and amazing food—as a vegan this place is a slice of Eden! By day I teach at a Montessori, and by evening I’m likely either making music and/or yummy food with my husband, doing Bikram yoga or outside bicycling, and depending on the day, making another batch of kombucha. I’ve been brewing kombucha for five years now, and I love the process of creating yummy flavors by using quality loose-leaf tea, organic herbs, and non-gmo juices that are always fresh and never from concentrate.

When it comes to being able to enjoy something that is both bubbly and offers a plethora of beneficial properties like antioxidants & traces of probiotics, kombucha has rocked my world, you could say! As a former avid soda drinker in my youth, knocking this sugary habit felt like I was also giving up the satisfaction of sparkly, bubbly yummy-ness, and carbonated water just wasn’t making the cut... Enter, kombucha! I am beyond thankful for the enjoyment kombucha has given me when drinking and making it, and I want to spread the goodness of this historical beverage that satisfies the tastebuds as much as can be a life-changer for anyone trying to take a step back from soda or sugary energy drinks. My mission in a nutshell: To refresh others with kombucha & kindness.

So far, my journey toward launching my kombucha business has included taking a 14-week course last spring called “Getting Your Recipe to Market”, a Portland based program designed for aspiring food entrepreneurs eager to learn all of the ins & outs that come with running a food business. At the end of this course, every student including myself had the opportunity to do a presentation for New Seasons (a Oregon & Washington staple grocery store that prides themselves on offering a wide array of local & seasonal products). I was thrilled to be told by the New Seasons jury that they would be happy to add my kombucha to their shelves whenever my business is ready. That is a future dream of mine however, as my next plan is to debut my kombucha on a smaller scale at the Portland Farmers Market.

Since taking this class last spring, I have become an LLC, and have also trademarked my Kelly’s Kombucha name and logo, which are dear to me. I was recently accepted into the Portland Farmers Market in the Kenton neighborhood starting this June 5, 2019, and am very excited! Upon accepting me as a new vendor, I was told they had 85 new applicants but were only able to select 22 new vendors, this itself was not only a great confidence booster, but also made me feel incredibly honored and thankful to be given this opportunity to debut my kombucha at this well established market.

With new opportunity also comes new costs, specifically towards bottles and labels, as well as paying weekly fees toward a commissary kitchen and my farmers market booth. I would be immensely humbled by the chance of being able to kickstart my dream into fruition with the support from a community bigger than myself.

My kombucha has been described as “bold in flavor” & “SO good” by those who have tried it, and I even had the chance to give some to Alicia Silverstone back in 2014, who later in an email called it “so yummy”. I can confidently say that it is unique and tastes like no other kombucha on the market. If you feel so inclined, please donate what you can. I am offering a 4-pack of kombucha to those who pledge a minimum of $50 and live within the US, and for those local to the Portland area who I can hand deliver to, I'm offering one 12 oz bottle for every $25 donated. Kickstarter is an all or nothing platform-- if I do not make my goal of $1500 within 60 days, your pledge contribution will not be charged. Thank you & may God Bless you!

Follow my journey @kellyskombucha on Instagram & Facebook

Risks and challenges

There are always risks when it comes to starting a business, but since I have been able to weigh out the many risks involved for nearly 4 years now versus rushing my business into fruition, I’m confident that I can face these risks and overcome any challenges that come my way. Thanks to friends, coworkers, and even strangers enthusiasm and positive feedback toward my product, I feel confident that my kombucha will sell itself and thrive as a business.